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"Ender," Graff said, "if you come with me, you won't be back here for a long time. There aren't any vacationsfrom Battle School. No visitors, either. A full course of training lasts until you're sixteen years old-- you get yourfirst leave, under certain circumstances, when you're twelve. Believe me, Ender, people change in six years, inten years. Your sister Valentine will be a woman when you see her again, if you come with me. You'll bestrangers. You'll still love her, Ender, but you won't know her. You see I'm not pretending it's easy.""Mom and Daddy?""I know you, Ender. I've been watching the monitor disks for some time. You won't miss your mother andfather, not much, not for long. And they won't miss you long, either."Tears came to Ender's eyes, in spite of himself. He turned his face away, but would not reach up to wipe them."They do love you, Ender. But you have to understand what your life has cost them. They were born religious,you know. Your father was baptized with the name John Paul Wieczorek. Catholic. The seventh of ninechildren."Nine children. That was unthinkable. Criminal."Yes, well, people do strange things for religion. You know the sanctions, Ender-- they were not as harsh then,but still not easy. Only the first two children had a free education. Taxes steadily rose with each new child. Yourfather turned sixteen and invoked the Noncomplying Families Act to separate himself from his family. Hechanged his name, renounced his religion, and vowed never to have more than the allotted two children. Hemeant it. All the shame and persecution he went through as a child-- he vowed no child of his would go throughit. Do you understand?""He didn't want me.""Well, no one wants a Third anymore. You can't expect them to be glad. But your father and mother are aspecial case. They both renounced their religions-- your mother was a Mormon-- but in fact their feelings are still第 25 页 共 340 页http://www.en8848.com.cn/ 原 版 英 语 阅 读 网